Improving flight efficiency is an ever-increasing focus for many airlines and other aircraft operators as fuel costs and operating budgets fluctuate. One aircraft characteristic that directly influences flight efficiency is wingspan. Typically, with other variables equalized, as wingspan increases, flight efficiency also increases. However, as the wingspan of an aircraft increases, the additional weight associated with the wing structure that is required to support the aircraft during flight. One solution to this excessive wing weight issue associated with aircraft having relatively long wingspans is to use a strut to brace the wing.
Using a strut to support an aircraft wing reduces the overall weight of the wing, and consequently of the aircraft, since the internal structure of the wing no longer bears the entire weight and lifting forces associated with the wing. However, the addition of a strut carries some penalties that adversely impact flight efficiency. One of those penalties includes drag. The use of any external aircraft structure that is exposed to the ambient airflow around the aircraft during flight creates an aerodynamic drag that decreases flight efficiency, which in turn increases fuel and other associated operating costs. Conventional wing struts do not provide any aerodynamic benefits that offset the aerodynamic penalties associated with the struts.
It is with respect to these considerations and others that the disclosure made herein is presented.